The Long Journey Ahead
by Rytiko
Summary: Two brothers set off together on the greatest journey of their lives. Adventure, friends, love, and Pokemon await them... But how far will Rytiko's older brother Shiku go in his pursuit of greatness?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

A New Journey Begins

"Hey, Rytiko… Are you nervous?"

"How could I not be? This is such a big step to take."

"Yeah, but it'll be worth it. Take it from me, little brother. The Pokemon really grow on you, in a way you couldn't understand until you've spent as much time with them as I have."

"I guess you're right… But this just seems so sudden. To think, tomorrow will be the last time I wake up from this bed and eat mom's cooking for who knows how long."

"You don't have to come with me if you think you'd rather stay home with mom."

"I know. But I'm still coming."

"Okay. Glad to hear it."

Rytiko turned over in his bed, thinking about the adventure on which he was about to embark. Despite his fears, he knew that, alongside his brother Shiku, things would be fine. After the final words of their late night conversation, each of them basked in the silence of the dark room for only a short while longer before willing themselves to drift to sleep.

The sun poured through the window onto the bottom bunk of the bed in the formerly dark room, heating the place where Rytiko lay. As miserable as waking up hot and sweaty would be, Rytiko was happy not to have to suffer that feeling. The boy of no more than fifteen lay wide awake amidst the piles of white bedding and pillows that filled the bottom bunk, once again thinking about the journey ahead of him. He imagined a path filled with adventure, glory, love, happiness, friends to cherish, foes to conquer… It would be a marvelous journey indeed. It began today.

"Shiku, come on. I can hear mom calling us for breakfast." Rytiko rolled out of the bed, stretching in a rather exaggerated manner as he did so. Scratching a head full of dark, flat, straight, and stringy hair, he nudged his brother. Moaning, he turned his head to face Rytiko and put on a smile to compliment his twinkling blue eyes, a trait shared by the two brothers.

"Today is the day, little bro, that you become a man," Shiku said as he climbed from the top bunk to the floor. "But first, it's time for breakfast. I'm starved!"

Their mother, teary eyed, had already set the table and gotten the duo their food by the time they got down the stairs. The aroma of pancakes filled the air, with a large amount of syrup poured over them. Accompanying them was a generous helping of sausages as well as a heaping pile of scrambled eggs for each of the two brothers. And what breakfast would be complete without the always delicious banana nut muffins that their mother was so good at making?

"Um… Rytiko? You're drooling, bro."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, right… Mom, this looks delicious!" He moved so quickly from the bottom of the staircase to the table it seemed that he teleported, and within no time at all, his plate was cleared completely. He almost asked for more, but upon getting the feeling that his stomach was about to explode, he decided it may not be in his best interest to do so. Bloated, he leaned back in his chair with some kind of a moan. Shiku grinned and continued eating without a word. Yeah, that was best. He doubted he could manage to talk anyway.

In the hour or so it took them to get ready, Rytiko managed to regain movement of his body and speaking abilities. There was little conversation though, as his mother only cried and Shiku spent his spare time trying to cheer her up. Rytiko spent it almost wanting to throw up. Not only because of over eating, either – His nervousness was returning, and was biting even harder now that the day had come.

Rytiko looked to the Pokemon egg his brother had given him upon his return a few weeks ago for comfort.

"That Pokemon is a Torchic. It's from the breeder, even the same two parents, of my Blaziken. The Pokemon are brothers, just as we are. This'll be the bond we share on our journey." As Rytiko reminisced of this moment, the most important gift he'd ever received from his older brother, he absentmindedly dressed himself in a plain black t-shirt and jeans, though topped it off with a signature black sweatshirt with silver stripes down the sleeves. He continued to comb his hair so that the bangs swept off to the left side, though the top was not parted, making it so that his hair completely covered his forehead. It was a hairstyle that his brother had once worn, before leaving on his journey for the first time. Rytiko truly idolized him…

"Rytiko, don't forget to call whenever you can! And don't go running into danger! Listen to your brother, and –

"Mom, please, calm down," Rytiko said, breaking off his panic-stricken mother. "I'll be okay, I won't forget to call, and I'll listen to Shiku. I have everything I need, and I'll be with Shinji – Don't worry."

Though she didn't look completely convinced, his mother smiled and embraced both he and his brother. "I love you, boys."

"We love you too, mom," they said in unison. As the embrace broke, the duo walked out the door together. This was Rytiko's first step in his new journey, one that would surely change him forever…

"Well, the first thing we have to do is catch you a Pokemon to use while you wait for that Torchic to hatch. Any ideas on what kind of Pokemon you want?" Shiku asked as they exited the door of their home. Before allowing Rytiko to answer, though, he began to rummage through his backpack. He finally emerged with a pokeball in hand, and he tossed it to Rytiko.

Catching the pokeball, Rytiko looked to the ground in embarrassment and said "Well, not really… I don't know much about Pokemon, only what you've told me."

"Ha, don't worry. We'll just catch you whatever you see first. Oh, and I almost forgot!" Shiku dived into his backpack once more, looking much like a raccoon in the way he did so. This time, he emerged with a small red rectangular device. "This," he stroked the machine, "is called a Pokedex. It shows information on any Pokemon you meet and examine with it. It's a very handy database, so treat it with care." Handing him the machine, he smiled at his little brother, who had become his protégé in all things Pokemon.

Rytiko joyfully took it and examined it thoroughly. It was sleek and cool looking, with a decent sized screen and a simple interface. It was truly a cutting edge piece of technology.

"Who made this…?"

"Who else? Professor Birch. That guy is amazing – the true pride and joy of Littleroot town. This place wouldn't be recognized at all if not for his accomplishments as a Pokemon scientist…" Shiku seemed to go off into a dream-like state. He got that way whenever he thought about any great genius, in any field. Whether it be a great trainer, scientist, or even clown, he seemed to look upon them with utmost admiration. Greatness – that was what Shiku had desired all his life, and following in his footsteps, Rytiko also desired greatness. Both of them hoped that this journey would help them achieve it.

"Anyway, the trail is right up here. Start looking around for some Pokemon – trees, rocks, high grass – look anywhere you think they might hide. You'll see them out in the open too, but usually not this close to town." Shiku's words of wisdom were approved with Rytiko's nod, and he began examining his surroundings closely.

For awhile, nothing at all happened. There was no movement not caused by the wind, no noises other than birds and bird Pokemon too high to bother trying to catch. After awhile though, a large spider – no, a small Pokemon - walked out of a small patch of high grass to cross the trail. Spotting the duo, it quickly returned to the grass.

"Get out your pokedex and point it in its direction," Shiku ordered. Rytiko did as he was asked and pointed the handheld in the direction of the small Pokemon. Having only opened the front cover, the machine spoke. Having been a bit surprised by his lack of activity to create such a reaction, Rytiko didn't hear all of the computer-like voices words. The main thing, though, is that this was a bug Pokemon named Nincada.

Shiku had already released a Tailow from one of his own pokeballs. "Peck!" he bellowed, and with a cry of its own name, the Tailow attacked, swiftly and fiercely pecking the Nincada. The details of the battle were hard to discern do the the upsweep of leaves and grass, though Tailow's brutal assault was not being countered by the small Pokemon. Shiku called it off, and motioned for Rytiko to toss the pokeball he had given him before. Nodding, he obeyed. The ball flew towards the spider Pokemon, and in a brilliant red light, pulled the Pokemon into its depths. The center still glowed red, though, and Shiku put an arm out to stop Rytiko from advancing on the ball. As the red vanished, however, Shiku's arm descended back to his side. With a wide grin on his face, he spoke.

"You, my little brother, have yourself a Pokemon!"

Picking up the small red and white ball, Rytiko smiled. This was the second step in his journey, perhaps more important than the first. But the world of Pokemon could not be as small as the Pokemon in this area – There were hundreds more to see, and in pursuit of greatness, Rytiko vowed to see them all before his journey truly ended.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
En Route to Oldale Town

Tired, hungry, and admittedly a bit bored, Rytiko let out a heavy sigh. Shiku laughed and responded "Come on, you can't bet tired already. We've only been walking for- " he checked his watch, "Six hours since our last break." His face shifted and he stopped suddenly, causing Rytiko to bump into him. "You're right. We should sit down and rest. I brought some of the stew mom made last night to eat – we'll buy more food once we get to Oldale Town."

A bit dazed after running into his brother and falling to the ground, Rytiko merely nodded. He was glad to be off his feet, though, and didn't even bother to get up from the ground. His legs, now realizing their fatigue, would probably not let him even if he had wanted to.

Setting aside the Torchic egg he'd been carrying in his arms the entire trip; he lay down in the grass, looking to the brilliantly colored clouds as the sun began to set. It was truly magnificent; the orange light washed over the entire area of the grove, the clouds shone in various shades of pink, orange, and red and the nocturnal Pokemon were waking, showing themselves for the first time that day.

"Sights like this… These are what keep you coming back out here, even after the tiring travel and homesickness. I can never settle down in a city for too long before I find myself going back out in the wilderness. It's hard to stay away from things like this," Shiku said, looking up from the fire he had just started with some help from his Blaziken, who had already been called back into his pokeball. In a dreamy state, he continued to pour the thermos of leftover stew in a small pan he had been carrying in his backpack. Holding it over the fire, he continued to speak. "Rytiko, I've been thinking about something…. I want to know if you're up for something."

"Of course, whatever you want," Rytiko said, puzzled that his brother had even bothered to ask.

"Don't answer until I tell you what I'm talking about. Please, keep quiet for a bit," Shiku said. His tone was not forceful, but spoken in a way so that Rytiko knew not to disobey.

"There are three Pokemon in this world, which have sealed themselves away within caves. Two more who have been sealed using magical orbs. And then still another that no one has seen in eons, supposedly flying far above the clouds for all eternity. I've been thinking… I want to find all of them, and let my discoveries separate me from all others in the world… I'd give credit to you as well, of course… but it doesn't stop at merely discovering these Pokemon… I want to capture them. All of them. I want to hold each of the legends originating in Hoenn in my hands, and wield their power… I'd be unstoppable. And then, with them by my side, I'd travel to other regions and capture each of their legendary Pokemon as well. That… that would guarantee me the title of the greatest Pokemon trainer alive…"

Rytiko looked at his brother, directly into his deep eyes that were now filled with greed, in total shock. "But, Shiku… Wasn't it you that told me that some Pokemon just aren't meant to be caught? The ones you speak of… Are they not a part of a delicate balance, one that shouldn't be disturbed for anything?"

Shiku sighed, pulling the hot pan away from the fire. "Yeah… Yeah, you're right. It was just a thought. Power like that would likely breed only destruction. I wouldn't want that."

The rest of the night went by silently. Their meal was quickly devoured, and shortly after they rose and continued their trek toward Oldale Town. Despite the many gasps on Rytiko's part upon seeing some of the magnificent sights the night in a Pokemon-filled wood had to offer, Shiku continued on in silence, lost in his thoughts. Rytiko worried, but he had no reason to question his brother's morals. He had never performed any questionable deeds for as long as Rytiko had been alive, and he was convinced that he wouldn't begin now. 'It's just him wishing for more than he ha, once again. He'll get over it,' Rytiko convinced himself. 'He'll get over it.'

Later, Shiku had wordlessly stopped in his tracks and pulled out his sleeping bag. Sighing, Rytiko did the same. He didn't want to disturb his brother at the moment. He knew it wouldn't do any good, as all Shiku ever said in this state were things such as "Yeah," "Sure," "Okay," … It would be pointless to speak to him. 

Sleep came easily to him on that night. He was quite tired, and the boredom set in by his temporarily mute brother only lulled him out of consciousness even faster. The calming sounds of nature sped this process along even more. All in all, Rytiko was awake for about five minutes after putting his head down on his pillow. With his consciousness, so faded his concern for the events of that evening.


End file.
